It truly happens to everyone.

The warm feeling emanating from the bed, attracting you to spend the day under the welcoming warm covers.

And while not one to slack off, Kage welcomed the feeling like a nice change of pace. After all, most of his days only consisted of work and hunting Ghouls unwelcome to the Anteiku territory.

Left with little time to rest, the welcoming softness and warmth of the bed seemed to be the only relievers for Kage.

But, this one felt different.

A good kind of different.

Encompassed by the warm covers, a truly great aroma filled Kage's nostrils, leading his eyes to gently open.

The rays of light burst through the windows, the blinding light forcing the waiter to close his eyes once more.

But as he saw the darkness once more, Kage felt a stirring in the bed he resided in.

Lifting a hand to cover his eyes from the light, Kage adjusted his eyes to his surroundings.

Already aware that he fell asleep in Eto's apartment, he wasn't shocked to find himself in an unfamiliar bed. But what did come as a surprise was the small frame closely laying near his torso.

Trailing his gaze down, he saw the girl he saved the prior day, named Kaguya, that seemed to take a liking to him and Eto immediately.

Speaking of the woman that Kaguya called Okaa-San, she wasn't in bed.

She didn't seem to be in the bedroom at all.

Albeit unwillingly, Kage knew that he couldn't waste his day in bed, and began to lift his body off of the very welcoming bed. It was Tuesday after all, meaning that Kage had work to do.

It didn't matter if he was late.

Something that Yoshimura began implementing from when Touka joined, was the waiters switching shifts. If one couldn't make it or was too late, someone else would pick up their work.

Though they would have to work the shift of the waiter that covered for them later.

As slowly and quietly as he could, Kage made his way out of bed. He knew the little girl was probably still shocked by the events from yesterday and didn't want to wake her up.

Plus, she was so adorable when sleeping.

She seemed to catch on that Kage got out of bed but the hold that sleep had on her was too strong for her to wake up.

Seeing his half-naked body, Kage remembered leaving his hoodie in the washing bin due to it being covered in blood.

It didn't matter if one lived in the most or least peacefull Ward, a bloody hoodie is bound to bring unwanted attention.

Wandering what his best course of action was, Kage almost unconsciously began making his way out of the comfortable bedroom.

As if on auto-pilot, Kage's body followed the amazing aroma that seemingly pulled his enhanced Ghoul senses towards the kitchen.

Slowly reaching the source of the great smell, an angelic humming began to reach his ears.

In the humble opinion of the One-Eyed Ghoul, the wonderfull aroma paled in comparison to the voice, his legs making longer strides in hope of reaching the wonderfull voice faster.

Rounding a corner, Kage saw Eto next to the countertop, making coffee

She slowly poured the boiling water in a clock-wise motion and watched the fluid fall into the container underneath.

Not making a sound, Kage made his way towards a chair and sat down, leaning his head on his left hand that layed on the rectangular table.

Eto didn't even seem to notice him if her unstopped working was anything to go by.

As each moment passed, Kage felt that Eto only seemed to become more beautiful. Her angelic voice humming, along with her perfect frame, made her seem as a Goddess in Kage's eyes.

Finished with her work, poured the fluid into the two glasses that were nearby. Lifting them carefully, as to not drop anything, Eto turned around to the dreamy look on Kage's eyes.

Startled, she took a quick step back, dropping a few drops of coffee onto the floor. A light blush adorned her cheeks, seeing the half-naked form of the fellow One-Eyed Ghoul.

Her sight landed on the smile sent her way, which seemed to be contagious. Her lips widened in as she finally began making her way towards the table.

Setting a cup of coffee in front of Kage, Eto took a seat opposite of him, her eyes firmly planted on the cup of the warm fluid in front of her.

A few sips of coffee later, the silence remained, but not in an uncomfortable way.

Rather, the silence seemed to fit the situation.

The two sharing their secrets seemed to create a bond that didn't require words to be spoken for one to understand the other.

The smiles on their faces gave the other the answer to the question of 'How have you slept?'.

Yet there was only so much silence could answer.

"Eto, could I ask you a question?"

Raising her head from her cup of coffee, she saw the semi-serious look adorning Kage's face.

Adopting one of her own, Eto's green eyes firmly looked into Kage's violet ones.

"Sure, go ahead."

"Last night, you said something about a group called the Aogiri Tree and that you were their leader. You also mentioned wanting to wipe out the CCG. It slipped by me at first, but, why tell me all of those things? I mean, I appreciate it, but you did only know me for a day."

Pondering on her answer for a short while, Eto formulated the answer inside her head.

Was it truly her mission of recruiting for Aogiri or her guilt that led her to spill everything out.

The answer was already clear to Eto.

Yet from the answer, only more questions seemed to arise. Why feel guilt now, when she didn't feel it when killing others.

It was far from the first time that Eto had lied to someone, so the lie itself didn't seem to be the problem.

Maybe it was Kage telling her his past that developed the guilt inside of her. He did, after all, have a similar past to hers.

The silence lingered for a few more moments until Eto's voice reached Kage's ears for the first time of the day.

"You had to find out at some point. I'm sure you already know that the number of RC cells a Ghoul has impacts their scent. We'll your's felt quite strong. As the leader, a part of the recruitment duties fall on me, so I followed you in hopes of getting you to join us. Then ... with all that happened at Anteiku, I guess I felt guilty and told you everything last night. The offer still lies on the table, but I would understand if you don't want to take it. After all, there are a lot of bad rumors going around about us."

Taking in all that Eto had told him, Kage's gaze traveled to his cup of coffee. Eto was right, rumors were going around about Aogiri, and not all of them were pretty. None of them were.

They all spoke of Aogiri in a bad way, saying they were making trouble for other Ghouls with their actions. Even some of the more violent Ghouls preferred not to associate themselves with Aogiri.

Yet, from what Kage heard from Eto, they wanted peace by destroying the CCG.

While Kage was aware that maybe she just wanted to get him on Aogiri's side, he was very well aware that she might not look at it that way. After all, not everyone sees everything in the same light.

So, what might seem to some Ghouls as an unnecessary war, to Eto it probably looked like a path to peace. A path filled with thorns and hardships, but a path none the less.

In the end, he knew what it was like. Looking for his mother and father, he was met with a lot of obstacles, most of which he is still trying to get around.

The way Eto spoke about her goal gave Kage a feeling that she both knew what she was doing, and had complete trust in her plan.

Hell, a few rumors circled that Aogiri had connections everywhere in Tokyo. This could help Kage spread his search for his mother and father tremendously.

Along with helping his search, Aogiri shared a common goal with Kage. While on the outside Kage may seem indifferent to the events around him, he very much wanted peace.

He had always presumed that his mother and father left him due to the strained relations between Ghouls and Humans made it almost impossible for a child to be raised, especially a child that was a mix of the two.

He knew the pain of growing up around those that weren't his parents. While Yoshimura and the other workers at Anteiku provided Kage with love and attention, it wasn't the same as the love and attention a mother could give.

Feeling that his parents had a good reason for leaving him, he never held a grudge against them. Instead, he wished to find them and talk to them, first find their reasons for leaving him and then getting to know them better.

And thus knowing the pain of growing up without parents, always told to hide and not show the humans his Ghoul side in fear of the CCG, Kage wanted to make sure that no other Ghoul had to feel such a feeling.

He was prepared to make peace, and now he had a chance to help out with it.

"You know..."

The voice of the Anteiku waiter grabbed Eto's attention, lifting her gaze from her cup of coffee. She was quite conflicted.

She had no idea of Kage's goals except for finding his father and mother, something she wanted to help him out with.

Despite knowing his past, he remained a mystery whose goals didn't seem clear.

"... I should be getting my mask in a few days, from then on you can count me as an official member of Aogiri."

Blinking a few times, Eto heard the sentence echo in her head. After all, all of her thoughts were long gone.

Surprised at the answer, she didn't know how to respond. To an extent, she had expected the answer, but not so quickly. Rather, she expected a time spent with him thinking the offer through, weighing his options.

Instead, what she got was a quick and seemingly honest answer. Feeling that she managed to recruit another strong ally, her excitement got the best of her as she quickly latched her arms around Kage's neck, and placing her lips on his.

Moments of silence filled the room once more, as Kage sat with Eto's arms around his neck, still in shock.

But not one to disappoint such a beautiful woman, he began to kiss back. Caught up in the heat of the moment, Eto failed to realize what she had done.

Only after a solid half a minute passed did her senses finally catch up to her. Opening her eyes, she thought the sight of a surprised Kage would welcome her back.

Instead, she felt his lips moving along her own in the second kiss that they shared with his eyes gently closed.

Another couple of seconds passed before Eto pulled away and sat down in her chair once more, her eyes tightly shut with her head dropped down.

"G-G-Gomenasai."

The silent voice only barely reached Kage as he looked at the embarrassed form of Eto.

Even though only one other person was in the room with her, Eto felt as if the whole world was watching, some laughing at her while others stared in mute shock.

The same feelings that she had related to Kage began to arise again. She could still feel his lips against hers, despite breaking the kiss a few seconds ago.

And just when she felt she was at her lowest, Eto felt a hand gently grab her chin and lift her head. Looking into the purple eyes of the One-Eyed Ghoul, a peacefull sensation washed over Eto. Her senses began coming back and all the pressure from earlier washed away.

"You're pretending like we didn't kiss last night, a lot more passionately than this."

The blood rushed to Eto's cheeks, giving her an evident blush, but only this time it felt comfortable. Chuckling once, Kage leaned his head on his left hand like earlier and continued looking into her eyes.

"S-So now what?"

Referring to the situation at hand, Eto's stutter was evident as she had still to completely recover from both her actions and Kage's.

"Well, I guess we could try our hands at this dating thing. To be honest, I never did have a girlfriend, and judging from your reaction, you don't seem to have much experience either. Besides, Kaguya-Chan is already calling us her parents. We can't disappoint, now can we?"

The smirk on his face drew a smile on Eto's face as she looked at him. His hair still in the bun that she did for him during the previous evening, along with the two bangs on the sides of his face.

"Ohayoo, Otoo-San, Okaa-San."

A silent voice reached the two sitting in the chairs. They saw Kaguya's small frame, covered by a white shirt and sweatpants that Eto gave her that were more than a couple of numbers too big for her.

Both sent the little girl a warm smile as she rubbed her eyes with her sleeves. They warmed up to the little girl just as quick as she warmed up to them. Knowing what it was like to be without parents brought the trio closer than they could have imagined.

Approaching the table, Kaguya sat down in a chair next to Kage and leaned on his arm. Her eyes still felt heavy and she seemed to have a hard time keeping them open.

Smiling at the petite girl, Eto quickly got up to prepare breakfast for the three. While she didn't know what was the unknown feeling that took over her body, a person experienced in the matter would say that her maternal instincts are kicking in.

Quickly preparing the best sandwiches she knew, Eto grabbed a plate and placed each sandwich on one. Placing the plates in front of the two, Eto sat down in silence as well.

Noticing the little girl wasn't waking up any time soon, Kage gently grabbed her by the shoulder and lightly shook her to try and wake her up.

"C'mon, Kaguya-Chan, it's time for breakfast."

The black orbs began to slowly open up. A few blinks later, Kaguya saw Eto biting into the sandwich. Aware that Eto was a Ghoul, a shocked expression appeared on the young girl's face.

Switching her gaze to the person she called Otoo-San, she saw him biting into his sandwich as well before finally looking at the plate in front of her.

She had already tried human food and threw up as a result. So how could two people she knew were Ghouls eat like it was regular human meat?

Seeing the untouched sandwich on the petite girl's plate, Eto wondered if she ever ate real food after all-

"Kaguya-Chan, why are- Ohhh, Gomenasai."

A sheepish look popped up on Eto's face, rubbing the back of her head. She then grabbed the plate in front of Kaguya and placed it back on the countertop.

It grabbed both the attention of Kage and Kaguya as she walked towards her fridge. Opening it up, they saw a stash of human meat inside, with Eto pulling out a semi-large piece.

Another plate, with the piece of human meat on it, was placed in front of the still confused Ghoul girl. Her confusion only rose as she saw her Otoo-San and Okaa-San continuing with their meal like nothing happened.

"What's wrong Kaguya-Chan?"

Kage's voice seemed to bring her back from her moment of shock. After all, it's not every day that you see Ghouls eating human food.

"H-How c-can you eat h-human food?"

The older teens shared a look before realizing they haven't explained to the young Ghould their characteristics.

"Well, you see Kaguya-Chan, I and your Otoo-San aren't completely Ghouls."

Seeing the confused look grow larger, Kage picked up where Eto began.

"Both of us had parents, Kaguya-Chan, it's just that that one of them was a Ghoul while the other one was a human. In turn, that gives us the ability to eat human food."

In truth, it was something that Kage found out on accident. By the time he was ten, Yoshimura theorized that his father or mother was a human, which was a reason for his one Kakugan.

So, in the form of an experiment, Kage decided to try human food. Up until then, he was explicitly told not to, but upon learning that he potentially could eat human food, he couldn't stop himself.

So you can only imagine the shocked expression on Kage's face as he ate his first strawberry. After a few foods, later on, he decided that the strawberry won the taste competition in the end.

But learning he could eat human food helped Kage tremendously in hiding his presence among humans. While others had to throw up what human food they ate, Kage would simply digest it.

At the time, the information Kage and Eto gave to Kaguya seemed to suffice her curiosity and she soon turned to her piece of meat, which she began to quickly devour.

Living in the world that they lived in, it was hard to explain certain things to children. It didn't matter if they were Ghouls or Humans. And that didn't only include the physiology of the other.

Rather, the hardest thing to explain was the way they treated each other. The strained relations, the constant bouts and the way they treated the other seemed to bite at the children's curiosity, all the while leaving the grown-ups to look mutely at their children while thinking of an answer.

It even seemed like they didn't know why they did what they did, but rather just continued with what everyone else did. And so, the constant loop of hate for the other continued, with no end in sight.

But, each keeping their thoughts to themselves, they continued to eat their breakfast.

Timeskip

After a short yet tasteful breakfast, after which a discussion of where to have Kaguya stay, Kage and Eto decided it would be best to have Kaguya stay at Anteiku.

Eto did have a career as a writer to keep alive, as well as lead the Aogiri along the way. She needed peace and quiet combined with a lot of free time, something that she wouldn't get much of with an eleven-year-old girl in her home.

Meanwhile, the situation was a lot better with Kage. Spending most of his time at Anteiku, he could always watch over her, and if he couldn't, the others wouldn't be against helping him out.

They already raised Kage, another child, which has already grown up, seems like a piece of cake compared to the One-Eyed Ghoul.

Kage already knew they wouldn't stop him from bringing her into Anteiku. He spent long enough to learn how they thought, hell, he even what they would say before they would say it.

Spending so much time with someone makes you learn their habits, patterns of speech, even their movement.

A helpless girl who was nearly raped and eaten was never gonna be rejected by Anteiku. While the management at Anteiku was strong, they had their soft spots.

The years spent caring for other Ghouls seemed to give others an edge they could use against Anteiku, something that Kage didn't like. While Anteiku did have control over the Twentieth Ward, there were always Ghouls prepared to fight them.

And they would use whatever they could get their hands on.

Holding the little girl's hand, the two walked along the sidewalk in silence. Not much needed to be said, as Kage had already told Kaguya what she needed to know about Anteiku before they began their walk to the coffee shop.

Not being able to wear the blood-covered hoodie, Kage was given one of Eto's yellow sweaters. It was a tad bit short, but comfortable none the less. It had a nice smell to it, though Kage couldn't pinpoint what it exactly was.

It had been about forty-five minutes since Kage and Kaguya left Eto's apartment. They walked the entire time and even dropped by for a box of pocky.

Accidentally, Kage offered some to Kaguya, forgetting about her being a Ghoul. It would take time to get adjusted to, as Kage always ate by himself. It wasn't a problem as he could eat anything with Eto, but with Kaguya it was different.

It was rare to see Kage eat the meat of any kind when not hunting. After finding out his ability to eat Human Food, he preferred it over the bodies of those he killed or found dead.

But, on any of his hunts, the ... scenes were quite brutal. Not wanting to waste time, Kage was always one for the explosive approach, often leaving the body parts of Ghouls scattered in an alley.

As the CCG discovered the bodies, their confusion grew. The victims were Ghouls, yes, but why would one Ghoul kill another. It could always be a territory thing, but after the first few murders, other Ghouls would know not to come to the Twentieth Ward.

But seeing as how the victims weren't Humans, there was no sort of alarm going off at the CCG. However, despite there being no Human victims, they still needed a way to identify the mysterious killer.

Kira. The Japanese pronunciation of the English word killer seemed to stick as soon as it was said. And so, from that point on, Kage was known as Kira to the CCG.

Despite being able to eat human food, Kage would always go on a hunting spree. Having the appetite that he had, it wasn't an easy task to fulfill his needs.

And so, while the amount of CCG investigators was lower in the Twentieth Ward than in any other, it would probably be even lower if it weren't for Kage, something that he was scolded for by Yoshimura multiple times.

Feeling a drop of rain hit his head, Kage looked up, a pocky in his mouth. He knew there were still a few more minutes of walking to Anteiku and it seemed as if the rain was unavoidable.

While it wouldn't be a problem to run, he knew Kaguya was tired from the walking and would probably slow him down, getting both of them wet.

A surprised squeak came from the little girl, as she felt herself get raised up easily by Kage and placed on his back. Feeling Kaguya tightly wraps her arms around his neck, he began to run towards Anteiku.

While he could go faster, a 'human' leaving a strong gust of wind as he ran by you would lead to quite a lot of attention, would it not?

But despite a lot slower than he could, Kaguya felt the sharp cold wind hit her face as Kage didn't show a sign of stopping. While Kage had originally suggested that they go across the building tops as it was faster, Kaguya wanted to walk instead.

She wanted to see the city, something she, sadly, didn't get to do a lot before. And so, to make her happy, her Otou-San agreed.

But now, their walk was cut short, but even so, Kaguya enjoyed it very much. The simple walk seemed to make the girl even more fond of Kage.

After a minute of running, Kage turned a corner, giving the little girl a the sight of a sign that said 'Anteiku' on it. Running towards it, Kage turned left once more and Kaguya found herself being slowly piggybacked up a flight of stairs.

Finally reaching the top, Kage placed her down, her t-shirt and slightly long jogging pants both a little wet. And while Kage wasn't wet either, he wanted to dry up quickly, he did have a shift to do later.

Kaguya grabbed onto his hand once more and walked into the cafe.

The first thing that Kaguya caught was the tidiness of the cafe. Everything was organized and clean. There weren't that many people inside either.

In fact, there were only two.

At a faraway table, a slender and fairly tall woman sat in one of the chairs. Her chest-length brown hair was loosely tied towards the left side of her shoulder, with three flowers ornamenting it and complementing her brown eyes.

She wore a pale, pastel dress tied at the waist with a braided orange belt, a pale yellow sweater, and a reddish scarf.

Her kind face and caring eyes, along with a smile on her face, followed the movements of the child that seemed to be Kaguya's age and looked very much like the older woman.

Her hair, similar to the older woman, was short and straight as she wore a headband decorated with four-leaf clovers. Her brown eyes gleamed with excitement as she seemed to be telling her mother about something.

Not noticing the pair that entered the door, they continued their conversation until cleared his throat, catching their attention.

At first, the older woman lifted her gaze, expecting to see a fellow Ghoul or Human entering, but at the sight of the young man at the door, her eyes widened and her mouth opened slightly.

Quickly standing up from the chair, she ran at Kage full speed and crashed into him, enveloping him in a hug. Being about half a head taller than the woman, he felt the woman's head rest on his chest with her arms tightly around him.

Smiling, he hugged the woman back.

Noticing something was off, he looked at the young girl still sitting on her chair, hesitant to get up. He followed her line of sight to see that she was looking at Kaguya that was currently hiding behind Kage's legs, peeking out.

Feeling the grip of the woman's arms lighten, his attention shifted back to her. Her brown eyes seemed as if they were glowing while looking at Kage.

"Ryouko-San, what brings you and Hinami-Chan here. I'm glad to see you but you weren't supposed to come for your package until next week."

The package that Kage referred to was a sort of service for Ghouls who couldn't or wouldn't hunt Humans. Taking bodies from suicide victims, often done by Kage and Renji after work hours, they were then sliced up into pieces and delivered to Ghouls in need.

Ryouko and Hinami, along with her husband, were among those Ghouls. The mother and daughter would often come by to see and talk to Kage and then get their package.

But the time for their package wasn't till next week so their appearance confused Kage.

"Asaki said he had ... some business to deal with and he wanted to have me and Hinami away for a few days."

Ah yes, Asaki Fueguchi, referred to as the Ghoul Doctor by Kage, was the husband of Ryouko and father to Hinami. He was also a good friend of those at Anteiku but rarely came as his job kept him in his 'office' for a large portion of his time.

However, he only wanted to protect his wife and daughter, so he jumped at the opportunity of Anteiku helping them with meals.

Of course, Kage was aware of Asaki's business. Through helping out other Ghouls he managed to get himself in some trouble and would have Ryouko and Hinami move out for a day or two until things settled down.

Smiling at the older woman, he felt the tight grip that Kaguya had on his harem pants. Looking down, he saw a shy and afraid look on her face.

Crouching down next to her, Kage moved a strand of her black hair behind her left ear.

"Why don't you go and talk to Hinami-Chan over there, I'm sure that you two will get along."

Looking past Kage's crouched form and then back at his purple eyes, Kaguya couldn't help but notice a smile he sent her way, calming her down.

Nodding her head, she took a deep breath and then walked over to Hinami.

"While they play around, how about you and I have a chat, we haven't done so in a while."

Nodding her head at the teenager's proposal, Ryouko sat at the bar and watched Kage prepare coffee. Being one of the few people close to Kage certainly had its privileges, such as a good coffee.

While rarely making coffee for others, Kage was more than happy to do so for Ryouko. During the time he was a baby, a rush in the cafe would happen, forcing all the workers to stop their watch over Kage and get to work.

In the middle of one such rush, a very young and newlywed Ryouko and Asaki came across a Kage who just learned to walk and was wobbly on his little feet. It was his cuteness and behavior that led Ryouko to pressure Asaki into having a child.

The interaction with the child coincidentally brought the newlyweds and Anteiku closer as Ryouko would sometimes come over to watch over the small child.

And now, seeing the same child from such a long time ago standing half a head taller than her and making coffee for himself and she was ... weird.

In a good kind of way.

Kage would often remind Ryouko that, during his time spent with her, she left a few of her traits on him. A small few, but a few nonetheless.

While unlike Ryouko, Kage supported hunting and fighting, outside of it, at least to those close to him, he was gentle and caring. Of course, the problem was getting through to that side, but a few managed to make it.

Most notably, the small girl calling him Otou-San, and the woman that he kissed this morning.

Setting down a regular coffee in front of Ryouko, Kage sat down on a barstool next to her, an iced-coffee in front of him.

The pair took a few sips, enjoying the silence in between. Their chats would always start out like this. As if assessing the situation, they waited to find something to talk about.

This time, however, it didn't take long, as the little black-haired girl that entered with Kage seemed to eagerly talk about something with Hinami.

"So, Kage-Kun, who's the little cutie?"

"She's my daughter."

Quickly snapping her head towards the person she almost considered a son, her eyes widened as her brain tried to think of a rational solution.

"Calm down, Ryouko-San, I found her yesterday being assaulted by a group of Ghouls. I saved her and ever since she started calling me Otou-San. Now that I think about it, I think I'm getting used to it."

As a response, Kage got the soft giggling of Ryouko. It was something she often did while listening to his antics.

"I never thought that I would hear those words come from your mouth. I always thought that someone would have to force you, Little Sadist."

Using the nickname given to him early on, Ryouko giggled on at Kage. While an angry growl or punch would be the usual reaction, Kage looked at Ryouko as a mother figure.

Having taught him so many things, he treasured the times she would come and have these kinds of conversations with him.

"Her name is Kaguya. That's all I know about her. She didn't tell me anything else, but because she's calling me Otou-San, I don't think she knows who her parents are."

The soft smile on Ryouko's face disappeared, replaced instead with a small frown. No child deserved this. Kage was at least lucky enough to be found while still young and be brought to people that watched over him.

But considering that the child was still alive meant that someone had to give her food and dress her, the only problem was who, and why leave her now?

It angered Ryouko but she was calmed down by the Kage's earlier words. Hopefully, he would take care of her. He was capable of it, that wasn't a problem, the troubling part was his work and hunting times.

It was no secret among those who knew Kage that he had a large appetite. In hopes of not bringing too much attention to the Twentieth Ward, he would target Ghouls, not the more civil ones of course.

But how could he explain coming back home bloody? While he could digest Human food, his Ghoul side yearned for Human flesh, and so, Kage would often fulfill his needs.

"You'll find out more about her as time goes on, Kage-Kun. Now, how are you feeling, and I'm not talking about the situation with the girl."

A sharp and serious look on her face Ryouko more demanded than asked. She felt when something was off with Kage, and while her instincts weren't screaming at her, they still tingled.

Sighing, Kage's gaze bored into the cup of iced coffee.

"I'm fine. It's just that my relationship with Yoshimura hasn't gotten better and I'm no closer to finding parents since I last talked to you."

Rubbing her hand in circles against Kage's back, Ryouko did her best to comfort him.

"If it makes you feel any better, I have a feeling that, if your parents are anything like, they're not gonna go down without a fight. Better yet, I don't think they're gonna go down at all."

Seeing the small smile rising on Kage's face, Ryouko flashed a smile of hers as well. Seeing the young man in a better mood seemed to be contagious for others, and Ryouko always tried to keep him as such.

Talking for a few more minutes the two shared some of the things that happened since the last time they talked.

Timeskip

With the mother and daughter duo leaving the cafe much to the dismay of Kage and Kaguya, who both had a great time with their respective talking partners.

But deciding it would be best to show Kaguya to where she'll be sleeping for the night, Kage made his way towards his room with the little girl in tow.

Finally reaching the floor above Anteiku, the duo walked down the hall, until they reached the door to Kage's apartment.

Pulling the key out of his harem pants, the lock clicked and Kaguya found herself looking into the dark apartment. Partly because of the night combined with the lack of light in Kage's apartment, it seemed like a scene similar to a horror movie.

But it rather reminded Kaguya of her past, a past that Kage would learn of soon enough.

Turning on the lights around the house after seeing the discomfort that Kaguya had with the darkness, he gave her a small tour of where everything was.

"And last but definitely not least, your new bedroom."

Walking in behind Kage, Kaguya saw the slightly messy bedroom. A few sketch-pads layed around along with a laptop and a mini-fridge to the side.

Across the bed, a wooden office table along with the wall behind it was covered with papers. The most prominent one was the large map of Tokyo and covered in dots in specific Wards.

Deciding it would be best if she didn't press Kage about it, Kaguya watched in silence as Kage cleared out some of the junk laying around.

Sitting down on her bed, Kage saw that the body of the little girl had yet to move. Her gaze was on the ground and she seemed to be fidgeting in place.

"Hey, Kaguya-Chan, sit down, I want to tell you something."

Stopping her fidgeting, she timidly and quietly walked over to the bed and sat down on it, her gaze still not meeting Kage's eyes.

"Listen, if there's anything you need, you can come to me first. I'll always listen to what you have to say."

Not lifting up her head, she looked at Kage from the corner of her eyes, her fidgeting returning under his gaze.

"I ... I do have ... something to tell you."

Seeing that she was uncomfortable with the topic Kage thought that it would be best if she waited for a better time.

"If you feel uncomfortable, you don't have to force yourself."

"No, I think you need to know this."

A few moments of silence passed by as Kage patiently waited for the little girl to begin talking. Having only seen her cheerfull side so far, it was a weird change of pace to see her unsure and unconfident.

"M-My mother raised by herself because my father ran away. S-She said it was my fault h-he w-was gone a-a-and she b-began t-to h-hit me."

Seeing the tears falling down her cheeks a sinking feeling presented itself inside Kage's chest. Nearing her, he enveloped her in a hug and let her cry into his chest.

"S-She beat m-me e-ever s-since I k-know about m-myself. W-When I-I was e-eight s-she sold me t-to s-some sort of o-old woman and she b-brought m-me and o-other k-kids to f-fight in front of people. W-When you f-found me I-I ran a-away from t-them b-b-b-"

Kaguya was cut off by more tears pouring, but a small comfort was brought to her by Kage rubbing circles into her back. Eventually, as a few minutes passed, Kage heard her light snoring.

Not wanting to wake her up as she looked peaceful, he only layed back with Kaguya still on his chest, protectively hugging her with both of his arms.

'Noone will ever harm you again, Kaguya-Chan.'